[Rhodes22-list] New here - intro and some questions

Sat Nov 13 10:06:45 EST 2010

Thank you for the quick reply.  How long would it take one healthy 6' tall guy 
to rig and launch a Rhodes?    A lot of my sailing is in the afternoon after 
work so the quicker I can get it rigged the quicker I can launch.  

I like your shirt analogy.  I think of it like cars (I'm a car guy)   I tinker 
with old Mercedes.  I appreciate the over-engineering that went into them, and I 
enjoy their timeless style and relative simplicity.  They designed them to last 
forever, and then a few more decades beyond that.   Plus a 20 year old Mercedes 
is a screaming bargain.      That said, I bought my wife a new Honda.   They 
seem to be stamped out of tin but they build them very affordably, and just good 
enough to last exactly forever -- but no more than that. 

That's kind of how I view the Rhodes and the Mac.   

I guess I answered my own question.    I *love* my old Mercedes, and don't even 
mind working on it because I really like it and intend to keep it for a very 
long time.   I admire the wife's Accord (only $500 in repairs in 95K+ miles) but 
think it's an incredibly boring appliance.  

Not sure which would be easier to tow and launch.   I usually end up launching 
and retrieving in a cross current on a busy ramp.   I don't always get lane 
preference (those obnoxious powerboaters unstrap and prep their boats right 
there on the ramp instead of in the parking lot -- tying up one of the two 
ramps) so the boat ends up drifting sideways off the trailer -- hopefully 
against the finger pier, but often out into the abyss until I can get out of the 
truck, onto the pier, and grab a stay to yank it back to tie it off.    I'd 
think the self-aligning trailer would alleviate a lot of that.   Plus it sits 
low on the trailer.   Will be draining a season's worth of water out of my 
truck's rear differential this afternoon actually.   And replacing a spring 
shackle that rusted out.  Would be nice to not have to dunk the back half of the 
truck to launch a boat.  (My current Mac/Venture sits a little high on the 
trailer as well) 

There's a few youtube videos of people stepping the mast on a Mac 25 but I can't 
even find a realistic time estimate to get a Rhodes from highway mode to 
ramp-ready.  

To add to the mix, the Mac is two hours away, the Rhodes is more like 6.    

________________________________
From: "KUHN, LELAND" <LKUHN at cnmc.org>
To: The Rhodes 22 Email List <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Sat, November 13, 2010 9:31:49 AM
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] New here - intro and some questions

Rob,

Most people on this list will think this is a no-brainer regardless of price.  
I'm cheap and still bought a Rhodes over less expensive boats.  Rhodes cost more 
because of their quality but that's not what drove my decision.  The Rhodes has 
so many positive features not found on the MacGregor that it is truly an 
apples-to-oranges comparison.  Think of your favorite and least favorite 
shirts.  Your favorite shirt likely cost more but was a better value, not 
because of its quality, but because you wear it more often and probably never 
wear your least favorite shirt.  I'm convinced that I sail my Rhodes more 
because it's easier and more enjoyable to sail.  If I look at cost per hour of 
fun, the Rhodes is less expensive than anything else I could have purchased.

I paid Stan a ridiculous amount of money to recyle a 1986 Rhodes in 2004 but I 
must admit that I've spent nothing on repairs aside from minimal routine 
maintenance (mostly outboard service and bottom paint).

On the flip side 4x the cost is a lot of money and the MacGregor is probably 
much easier to trailer and launch, especially regarding mast raising.

Good luck!

Lee
1986 Rhodes22  AT EASE
Kent Island, MD

.

________________________________

From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org on behalf of Rob S.
Sent: Fri 11/12/2010 4:54 PM
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] New here - intro and some questions

Joined last night, got my first digest today.  I figured I'd introduce myself.  
I own a 1973 Venture 17 which I enjoy with the wife, or a friend, or
single-handed on the local lakes, the Susquehanna and the Chesapeake.  I first
saw a Rhodes at the Annapolis sailboat show last year.   I was smitten.  I read
every page of that book Stan calls a brochure. 

I tried overnighting on the 17 but just need (want?) something bigger, and of
course I'm on a very tight budget.

Right now the top two choices are a Macgregor 25 at a bargain basement price and
it needs work in a few areas that I have experience and ability (cleaning,
engine, woodworking, trailer modification)      And a used Rhodes with standard
floorplan, IMF, fancy engine lift and a Rhodes trailer.   This is from General
Boats, as-is.   But it's exactly 4 times the price of the bargain basement
Mac.    Still a bargain compared to the one private-sale Rhodes I've seen
lately.     I presented both options to the wife.  The Mac is in the "who cares,
do what you want" price range and the Rhodes will require me to buy her new
curtains and put a tile floor in the kitchen, and will totally deplete my
allowance fund.  

I'm seesawing back and forth.   The 22 and 25 both seem to have "enough" room. 
The 22 I think would be more like my 17 in that if I feel like going out for a
sail in the evening after work I can just go down to the river, rig and launch
it myself and poke around until after sunset.   (and launch in an unprotected
ramp in river current)

I guess I really didn't have a question other than "is there other things I
should be thinking about in this comparison?" 

Thank you in advance for any replies.    -Rob

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